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Overstimulation: The Cell Phone Show

Nimbus dancers Kerry Ring, Jennifer Golonka and Beth Elkins.
(photo: Jim Bush)

Having seen previous performances by Nimbus Dance Company, the first thing that springs to mind about The Cell Phone Show, from the point of view of a dance reviewer, is that the dancers’ skills are shown to a fuller extent. The choreography is more kinetic and seemingly more demanding, each dancer’s solo parts are more individualized, and stylistically and mechanically her attributes and expertise are more illuminated. Funny thing is, with this show it almost doesn’t matter. The four leads—dancers Beth Elkins, Jennifer Golonka and Kerry Ann Ring, and narrator/mistress of ceremonies Theresa Baker—could have worked their bodies like beached sea lions and the show would still have been spectacular.

Spectacular. Like the definition of the word “nimbus,” a radiant light, this show was that and a lot more. A colorful light show plays on the three-paneled video backdrop coordinated by Brian Milbrand and Brad Wales, along with a fun, exciting and powerful score created by composer/bandleader David Kane and unexpected dramatic and comedic turns at every point. The set consists of a single red phone booth—a la New York City’s Telephone Bar, or London in the 1960s-70s—and gallery 164’s unique, load-bearing architecture. Props are cell phones (“turn your ringers on at the door!” urges the flyer for the show), protest signs, numerous costume changes (the dancers switch from one slogan-bearing tanktop to another­) and, in a piece of choreography called “Sizzling Tango,” life-sized male dolls for dance partners. The dolls are sashayed around the stage by the dancers in a scene that less than cerebrally brings to mind an image of blow-up dolls, in a twist on a standard comedic gimmick.

Gimmicks abound in The Cell Phone Show (also billed as “more fun than our last show,” the devastating Windows IV: In Desperate Silence). The game show parodies are fun and smart, mixing Jeopardy-like segments containing questions on food preservatives and the environment with an American Idol-esque “Dance Off,” where Elkins, Golonka and Ring compete in the areas of ballet, jazz and tap. the winner is chosen by audience approval, via hand-clapping or text message votes. Bright colors splash across the backdrop like a pinball machine, Kane’s music whirs and distracts as it cues the contestants to their winnings and losings, and the characters shriek with glee or pout with disappointment as their luck changes.

Golonka, Ring and Elkins in a segment addressing the dairy industry.
(photo: Jim Bush)

Throughout this onslaught of light, sound and live theater, actor Kristi Meal keeps a running verbal count of the deaths in Iraq, a somber reminder in the face of the sometimes frivolous chaos that unfolds on stage. So are many of the clips projected behind the action, from footage of the meat and dairy processing industries to the eerie, Maya Deren-inspired imagery shot and edited by Wales and Milbrand. The arrival on scene of the Secret Service Agent (played to a turn by Paul “Painkiller” Galvin) adds a dimension of alarm along with its humor, the potential violence of the scene being overshadowed by the issue of governmental cell phone surveillance. This is a show that simultaneously skewers cell-phone-addicted culture and warns of the violation of cell phone users’ privancy.

Tackling complex societal issues of consumerism vs. conservation and convenience vs. conscience isn’t easy to do, though entertainment may be the only way to do it effectively. Nimbus doesn’t pretend to treat the issues it presents perfectly or even practically: The majority of its members probably do own cell phones, and they probably use them even when it’s not an emergency. What Nimbus seems to realize and demonstrate well is that everyone is compromised by convenience and consumerism, but hopefully some are also affected by issues of conscience and care for humanity and the environment. It is to these people that The Cell Phone Show speaks. Nimbus may encourage vegetarianism, even veganism, through imagery, spoken word and simple statement of facts, but directors Elkins and Wales seem to know that the best way to get their point across is through humor, compassion and really great, multifaceted entertainment. Having three of the most talented and versatile dancers working in the area doesn’t hurt, either. The Cell Phone Show is a must-see live theater performance, appropriate for every man, woman and child over 10 (due to attention-span issues only).

Special note: Seriously, everybody bring your cell phones. Audience members are encouraged to text-in votes and messages that may even appear on the backdrop. Don’t talk during the show, though. There’s so much going on, you’re probably going to miss something even if you’re not distracted